


Cache

by bethagain



Category: Mad Max Series (Movies)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-25
Updated: 2015-07-25
Packaged: 2018-04-11 04:35:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 327
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4421591
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bethagain/pseuds/bethagain
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He’d been saving it for years, last can of beans in the universe, as far as he knew. Something to keep for a day worth celebrating, or mourning.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cache

Max glared at the unopened can of beans as if it had personally offended him.

He’d dug the thing out from a cache. Miles from the Citadel, halfway up a red canyon wall, back of a narrow fissure, had to mash his toes against the rock while hanging by one arm and reaching with the other. Bought himself skinned knuckles and a moment of white-out fear when the cliff crumbled in his grip. Made it back to the top with leg brace creaking and knee screaming, had to sit there and breathe before he could even look around and make sure he was still alone.

He’d been saving it for years, last can of beans in the universe, as far as he knew. Something to keep for a day worth celebrating, or mourning. A day when there was something in his head other than scorched desert, something other than the smell of diesel, something new beyond the repeating voices of his ghosts.

The can sat there, its sides bulging, and mocked him.

Might still be good. Might not. Max was old enough to remember the word for the creeping weakness that followed food gone wrong. No treatment for botulism out here.

There was no one to hear him swear but he did it anyway, one muttered word. Then he opened the can, scooped out some beans, tossed them on the nearby sand. Wiped his fingers carefully on the ground.

It took a while, but Max had time. He waited until there were a half-dozen sand bugs creeping toward the beans, and then he caught them each between thumb and forefinger and trapped them in his fist. If anyone else had been there, they would have seen the flash of a half-smile. They might have made out the quiet toast to Furiosa that he offered as he raised the first bug to his mouth. It wasn’t what he’d had in mind, but he could still mark a memory.

**Author's Note:**

> This might be a scene from the beginning of a new adventure. Or it might just be one from the end of the story we already know. 
> 
> Either way I didn't know what else to do with it, so I put it here. Thank you for reading!
> 
> p.s. First line is courtesy of [Impishgrin](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Impishgrin/pseuds/Impishgrin), who came to the rescue when I needed a prompt. Thank you!


End file.
